Arland

Arland is Demia's biggest country, though it is a young nation compared to many of the others on Demia. Ludvig Wolfgang Arls founded this kingdom in 954 3.E. amidst the Thousand Year War. Because of its vastness and the fact that it was originally many individual countries, its customs vary from region to region.

Government

All citizens of Arland bow knee to the ruling monarch. This position is passed down to the eldest child of the king or queen, or, failing that, the closest family member to the previous regent. Gender makes no difference in terms of the title, but there have been more kings in Arland's history than queens. The current family tree stretches throughout Arland.

In addition to the monarch, seven powerful noble families each oversee a region of the realm. The founding members of these families were among Ludvig Arls' closest and most trusted allies.

Military

The Arlish Army is divided into two sections: The King's Army and The People's Army. The King's Army is a small unit of elite soldiers under the personal command of King Karlstreim Ludvig Arls and Denzel Friedrich while the People's Army serves as the military and law enforcement of Rune Midgard. The third section, the Blade of Jundiel, are the army under the direct control of the Shepherd, the head of the Runan Church.

Arland military

The Arlish military.

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Rank	King's Army	People's Army	Blade of Jundiel
10	Private	Private	Knife
9	Guard	Miliz Officer	Dagger
8	Shieldbearer	Miliz Sergeant	Sword
7	Lancer	Officer	Squiree
6	Captain	Captain	Knight-Errant
5	Commander	Commander	Knight
4	Dragoon	Lieutenant	Holy Knight
3	Royal Guard	Enforcer	Blade
2	Kavallerie	Protector	Paladin
1	The King	The Major General	The Shepherd

Culture

Arland, with its sprawling length and origins as numerous States, has varying opinions and attitudes toward things. The fervour with which many people from Zauberfeld pursue secrets of the arcane is tempered by the hard-working miners of Eisenberg; the cunning, shrewd greed of Asteria is balanced by the reverence of nature found in Arbonne. Woven into Arlish history and, however, is a notion of chivalry. Depending on whom you ask, this is seen as a sort of charm or an attempt to oppress women.

It has given rise to a complex sort of culture surrounding the place of the genders in society. It is often seen as a man's responsibility to protect and provide for women and children, though women are figuratively put on a pedestal more often than they are overtly oppressed. In the lower class, there is little difference between the genders as typically both need to work to make ends meet. It is the middle class upward that have strong feelings regarding masculine and feminine places within the strata of the world.

State Holidays

• Arlsday: Celebrated on the 10^th of March to commemorate the nation's founding. Theatrical troupes put on pieces imitating, romanticising or mocking the battles of the Third Era, often portraying Ludvig Arls, the founder of Arland, as a heroic god.
• The Moon Festival: A week-long celebration in the middle of August. Festivities and entertainment are found throughout cities and troupes, peddlers and bards flock to settlements in search of coin and fame. The Festival begins at dusk on the the 12^th of August and ends at daybreak on the 19^th.
• Harvestnight: Beginning at sundown on the 12^th of August, the opening of the Moon Festival is perhaps the oldest of all the celebrations in the week of festivities. It is a night of feasting and revelling to celebrate the year's harvest.
• Lightsday: The day dedicated to Xirchiriog, the sun, summer and children. Arlish people wear yellow on this day, even if it's nothing more than a strip of cloth about their wrist. This practice dates back to a semi-legendary cleansing of a village overrun by demons during the Second Era. A wandering ascetic gave each of the humans a strip of yellow cloth to protect them from the spell that would exorcise the demons. Lightsday is celebrated on the 13^th of August.
• Lawsday: The day dedicated to Jundiel, order, lawyers and judges. Mock courts are held throughout the land for frivolous offences such as refusal to celebrate or celebrating too much. Equally frivolous punishments are given. Lawsday is the 14^th of August; the third celebration of the Moon Festival.
• The King's Birthday: Traditionally celebrated on the 14_{th of August and a part of the Moon Festival. Commoners are given a day's leave and it is traditional to make mock crowns out of fronds or branches. The day concludes in village or neighbourhood feasts where a 'king' and 'queen' are elected by popular vote.}
• Oresday: The day dedicated to Nikkoth, builders, architecture, the home and family. Many people spend this day with their families, and it is common for people to take their children to work with them, showing their offspring how their trade works. Some people dress up as dwarves and use the disguise as an excuse to drink and eat. Oresday is on the 15^th of August.
• War's End: A day celebrating the peace in the wake of the Second Age. Famous battles are re-enacted humorously in the evening of the 16^th of August.
• Kavallerie's Midweek: Celebrated on the 1st of January and finishes on the 10th of the same month. Kavallerie are the highest one can reach in the Arlish army, often called 'Rune Knights' by the public, in regards to their inscribed blades. The week is used to celebrate the effort put into being raised to such a rank. Children celebrate with mock dueling, women shower the new Kavallerie in rose petals, and the men test their mettle.

Religious Practices

Xirchiriog is the most widely worshipped god in Arland, followed by Padraig. Predictably, Annam is the most popular deity among the nobility of the realm. Most gods find some devotion among the sprawling population of Arland, and though worship of Yeathan, Celasaer, Quabixnuf, Sacherzen and Zinzerevich is criminal, there are shadowy cults that dedicate their souls to these dark deities. Arland is a nation that is founded on principles of order and goodness, and most people will frown upon worship of deities that go against these ideals.

Sexuality is something left out of polite, public conversation. Still, Arland's laws do not forbid any form of sexual union by consenting people above the age of 14 save for incest (being between blood siblings or parents and children). Even so, in much of Arland's south, such unions go unpunished, though they are not spoken of openly.

Monogamy is usually expected, though rarely practised among the nobility. Young noblemen and women will often have tutors assigned to them to teach them in the arts of love (politely called Galothien's gifts). Despite all this, virginity, be it actual or apparent, is a prized attribute of noblewomen, thus they will often find pleasure in the company of their own sex, or through non-penetrative acts.

Marriage requirements depend on the order that perform the nuptial rites. Padraigian clergy will only wed a man and a woman, whilst the other churches are more relaxed in their stance. Arlish law demands the bride be above the age of 14, and the groom be above the age of 16.

Relations With Other Powers

• Ordeau: Arland and Ordeau maintain amiable relations despite the strain placed on their relationship by the Demon War and the following Arlish Civil War. Ordeau relies on Arbonnais and Orlean trade, occasional military assistance from Eisenberg, and the nations' great schools of magic sometimes collaborate with each other.
• Windcrest: The small nation is polite, if not friendly toward Arland as a whole. They suffered in the Civil War when they provided a sanctuary for Feyfolk. House Brutus' reparations only went so far, and there is a general feeling in Windcrest that the larger kingdom vastly short-changed them. Windcrest does, however, have a good trade relationship with the region of Arbonne and House Marchand.
• Estico: Like all nations, Arland is worried about the possibility of war with the Mad King. Envoys are sent to the kingdom regularly, yet no diplomatic progress has been made, and envoys to the southern kingdom are often never heard from again.
• Armonda: The nation of shrewd merchants and thoughtful philosophers has an uneasy friendship with Arland that stems from disagreements many centuries ago regarding the placement of Zauberfeld's University of Arcane Mysteries. Armondans are a wholly proud people, and tend to look down their nose at Arlish upstarts who think their education superior to a more classical one.
• Illyria:
• Padraigia: Since the Demon War, relations have been strained between the great northern kingdom and the theocracy. Nevertheless, a handful of Padraigian paladins yet serve in the Arlish royal palace as a sign of solidarity, and certain religious orders in Arland often send groups on pilgrimages to the holy land.
• Kelseta: Though Wolfgang Arls famously tried three times to invade Kelseta, the people of Kelseta consider it a forgiven sin. Trade thrives between Kelseta and Arland. Kelsetan weapons and trinkets are sought and prized by the Arlish, and enchanted goods from Arland are prized by the warriors of Kelseta.

Arlish Characters

Arlish characters are fairly liberal in their outlook and approach to life. There is an unspoken myth in Arlish culture that an individual is largely in control of their fate. At the same time, a classist system encourages the upper class to look down on those below them. Urban Arlish tend to be disciplined and pragmatic; life in the cities of Arland is comfortable. Those from the lower wrungs of the social ladder and rural settings are hardy and grounded. Arlish characters are often of merchant or farmer stock, with high regional variation in professions. Some Arlish, particularly those from Zauberfeld, may be magicians.

Justice et Paix.

The Contested Land
Ruler: King Karlstreim Arls

Patron Deities

Judiel | Xirchiriog | Nikkoth

Regions

Arbonne | Asteria | Eisenberg | Northrun | Orlea | Zauberfeld

Demonym

Arlish

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Demonym

Arlish

Government System

Monarchy, Constitutional

Power Structure

Federation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Arlish Standard